1878.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



167 



became full of tiny blue flowers, and white and 

 dark circled ones, and spotted; Canterbury 

 bells, stocks, "Wall-flowers, Petunias, Schizan- 

 thus, and a host of similar flowers — all these 

 welcomed April. 



Lobelia cardinalis is a garden perennial of 

 much value here, producing its brilliant flowers 

 through the entire Summer, if seed are not 

 allowed to ripen. The leaves also have a rich 

 metallic luster when grown in favorable soil. 

 Delphinium formosum retains its value for cut 

 flowers, and is now in bloom. Aquilegia chrys- 

 antha is getting its display ready ; and Astilbe 

 japonica is in its prime. 



Among the bulbs, Brodsea coccinnea, B. gran- 

 diflora, Camassia esculenta, Cyclobothra alba, 

 C. aurea, and others, are in bloom, whilst 

 Lilium Humboldtii is nearly so. The remahnng 

 Californian lilies, and those fi'om Japan, have 

 evidently chosen May as their month of appear- 

 ance. The earlier Irises were friends of March, 

 but -some still linger beneath the whitening 

 snowballs. 



The Diosmaalba, a dwarf, fine leaved, Heath- 

 like shrub, blooms with us all Winter, and the 

 fragrance of both flower and leaf is charming. 

 Among the newer plants is Jochroma tubulosa, 

 which forms a fine single clump on a lawn or in 

 a sub-tropical bed. Its oval, hairy, dark, and 

 heavily veined leaves, its firm outlines and 

 massive growth, and its large clusters of blue, 

 tubular flowers — these unite to make it valuable 

 on this coast. Some experiments have been 

 made with the Cycas revoluta, which make it 

 probable that, in sheltered places, it will stand 

 the Winter of Central California. If so, another 

 tropical eftect may be added to our landscapes. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



AcKR KUFINEKOE. — A beautiful colored plate 

 of a variety of this maple is given in the March 

 No. of V Horticulture Bels^igue^ tak en from a 

 plant growing on the celebrated grounds of M. 

 Lavallee, at Sevres, in France. It is a native of 

 Japan, and allied to our striped barked maple. 

 It would be hardy in our country, if not already 

 in some collection not known to us. 



Gakdenixg in Norfolk. — The Public Led- 

 ger of l^orfolk, Virginia, remarks on the grow- 

 ing taste of the ladies and gentlemen of that 

 city for gardening, and attributes much of it to 

 the successful venture of Mr. D. Barker, with 

 his " Brambleton" green houses. 



The Dwarf Pyracantha. — This, or as it is 

 strangely enough called, the "AVhite Benied 

 Pyracantha" has proved entirely hardy at Bur- 

 lington, Iowa. We suppose the ordinary scar- 

 let berried Pyracantha would not be hardy that 

 far north. 



QuERCUs HETEROPHYI.LA. — They secm to 

 know more about the Bartram oak under cul- 

 ture in Europe than we do, for a correspondent 

 of the Garden, writing from Newry, in Ireland, 

 says : — 



" This oak is very nearly hardy, and it retains 

 its leaves here until January or February ; in 

 fact, it never loses them until we have a sharp 

 nip of frost. Its flexible shoots, graceful habit, 

 and diversified foliage make it a desirable addi- 

 tion to collections of hardy trees. It is some- 

 times called in catalogues Q. agnostifolia." It is 

 however just possible that this refers to Quercus 

 Robur heterophylla, quite another thing and 

 which is already in the '' Fairmount collection." 



Green House and House Gardening, 



CO AIM UNI CA TIONS. 



CATTLEYAS. 



BT CIIAS. II. S., BALTIMORE, MD. 



While there may be a question as to the suc- 

 cessful culture of some Orchids — coming from 

 elevated regions where they are at all times sur- 

 rounded by a cool, moist atmosphere, — with re- 

 gard to the splended genus Cattleya, there can 

 be none ; and it is my opinion that they will be 



grown and bloomed in this country nmch finer 

 than either in England or on the Continent. In 

 beauty they are surpassed by no member of the 

 Orchid family. They are easy to cultivate, free 

 to bloom, blooms lasting from 2U to 50 days, 

 nearly all shades of color, except blue, and 

 blooming in some one or other of the species at 

 all seasons. A house properly constructed and 

 filled with nothing but Cattleyas and their con- 

 geners, the large La;lias from Brazil, would be 

 in bloom all the year round. And I find all 



